So you want to become an entrepreneur.  Or maybe you want to go back to school.  Or maybe you want to start working on your rainy day fund (again).   Or just maybe you want that cute guy in Accounting to come to your cubicle to say “Hi”.  Whatever the case is, we all have some things in our lives that we want to change.  I know I do-hence, “Evolving Elle”… 😉  In any event, in order to get some things we’ve never had, we have to do some things we’ve never done.

I’ll use myself as an example.  In the post from my birthday, I stated that I wanted to go out on at least one date a week.  Sad to say, but I haven’t quite been keeping up with that.  Not for lack of trying on my part.  While I thought I had some aces in the hole, nothing’s really popped off.  While I did approach two men while in Atlanta (see, I CAN step outside of my box), one turned into a potential business opportunity (at least I’m working on an aspect I need to focus on this year) and the other…well, the jury’s still out, though he did tell me yesterday we still have to meet up for a drink.  (Oh, did I mention they both live in the District???)  I’ve come to realize while I welcome true companionship, it’s not going to devastate me if it takes awhile for the right man to find me.  I would much rather be alone and work on becoming a better Elle than be miserable with someone who doesn’t deserve me and we don’t compliment each other.

Relationships aside, I’ve also stepped outside of my box relating to my business.  A few months back, I was contacted by a young lady who wanted me to write a piece about her client.  This young lady is in the business that I’m trying to break into.  I built a nice repertoire with both women.  So, after a failed attempt at trying to connect with a former classmate to discuss this profession, I looked in my phone book and decided to reach out and see if she would be willing to discuss a few things with me.  She was all too happy to help. 

I say all of this to say if you want things to go differently in your life, you have to behave differently.  Regarding approaching men, maybe it’s my insecurity or traditional way of thinking that won’t let me start out as the aggressor.  And I don’t mean aggressor in the sense of “wearing the pants” or even being aggressive; I just mean in the sense where I’m the first to approach and say, “Hello.”  That’s so not me.  But, if I’m serious about meeting someone new, I have to do things a little differently, because what I was doing in the past is obviously not working.  And regarding my business.  Well, instead of doing things on my own or just doing research, why shouldn’t I use ALL of my available resources as in contacting someone who’s doing the same thing???

Lastly, I won’t go into too much detail (because the person whom I’m referring to may read this, and I don’t want him to know ALL my secrets).  There was someone I wanted to meet.  We have mutual friends, and I shared with one or two of them that I wanted to meet him.  But instead of waiting on them, I stepped outside of my box and contacted him myself.  We’ll see how this plays out.

I’ve found what it means for me to step outside of my box.  What does stepping outside of your box mean for you?  We all have different boxes, so what works for me may not necessarily work for you.  Might I suggest taking stock in where you are in your life and how you would like for things to improve or change.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.